Chennai, Jan 15, 2025, IANS

Chennai, Jan 15 (IANS) The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai, has forecast light to moderate rainfall in six districts of Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. The districts include Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukkottai, and Ramanathapuram. The RMC attributed this to a low-pressure system over the southeast Arabian Sea and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal along the equatorial line. Above-average rainfall is expected across the state in the coming days. Dynamical models predict above-normal rainfall in Tamil Nadu until January 16, while normal rainfall activity is expected between January 17 and January 23. In Chennai, light to moderate rain accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning is forecast for this day and Thursday. The maximum temperature in the city is expected to reach 27 degrees Celsius, with the minimum ranging between 23 degrees and 24 degrees under a cloudy sky. Mild rain is also likely in Chennai and surrounding districts until January 16, due to an upper air circulation. Heavy rainfall will be confined to the Manjolai belt, while light rain is expected along the coastal areas from Chennai to the delta districts and Thoothukudi. Further rainfall is predicted from January 19 to 21 due to another low-pressure system. Tamil Nadu recorded 14 per cent excess rainfall during the northeast monsoon season, with 447 mm compared to the seasonal average of 393 mm. Chennai received 845 mm of rainfall, 16 per cent above average, while Coimbatore saw a significant 47 per cent increase. Cyclone Fengal, which struck Tamil Nadu from November 29 to December 1, caused widespread devastation. It resulted in 12 fatalities and inundated 2,11,139 hectares of agricultural land. The cyclone damaged 1,649 km of electric conductors, 23,664 electric poles, 997 transformers, 9,576 km of roads, 1,847 culverts, and 417 tanks. Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai, and Kallakurichi districts experienced over 50 cm of rainfall in a single day, equivalent to an entire season’s average. The cyclone severely impacted 69 lakh families and 1.5 crore individuals statewide.